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On May 12, 2009, Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Mel Martinez. Crist joins several other Republicans seeking this seat; most notable is former Florida Speaker of the House, Marco Rubio.

The opinions and views in the report do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Institute's funders.

Fast Facts

Individual donors provided 40 percent of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's contributions in 2006, while businesses and special interest groups contributed 27 percent. In contrast his challenger, Marco Rubio received three-quarters of his money from businesses and special interest groups individuals provided 20 percent of his funds.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist raised $24.5 million in his 2006 bid for governor--more than the combined total of all of his opponents in the primary and general election

Names In The News: Charlie Crist vs. Marco Rubio

Revised: The Institute's original report originally included contributions from Marco Rubio's brother Mario, who ran for the state House of Representatives in 2008. He lost in the primary.

Charlie Crist

On May 12, 2009, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced his run for the United States Senate seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Mel Martinez. Crist is the first Florida governor not to seek reelection since the state constitution was changed in 1968.1

Crist has been a figure in Florida politics since 1992, when he was elected to the Florida Senate. He served there until 1998, when he made his first bid for the U.S. Senate, unsuccessfully challenging then-incumbent Senator Bob Graham. In 2000, he was elected Florida Commissioner of Education; in 2002, he was elected Attorney General. Crist was elected to his current position as governor in 2006.

The National Institute on Money in State politics has collected state-level campaign finance reports in Florida since 1998. In that time, Crist raised $28.3 million in his various bids for statewide office, consistently raising more money than his general election opponents. Crist raised more money during his 2006 gubernatorial campaign than any other governor in the last decade â€” $24.2 million â€” more than the combined total of all of his opponents in the primary and general election. As a point of comparison, former Gov. Jeb Bush raised $8.9 million in 1998 and $10.3 million in 2002 to win his elections.

Contribution limits meant that Crist's campaign funds for his 2006 governor's race came from a multitude of donors. (Florida's campaign finance laws prohibit donors from giving more than $500 to a candidate per election.) More than 2,800 donors gave Crist the maximum of $1,000 ($500 for the primary and $500 for the general). In the aggregate, however, Crist raised the most money--$4.5 million--from party committees, which are unrestrained by contribution limits. The next biggest economic sector to donate was finance, insurance, and real estate, which gave $3.1 million. Lawyers & lobbyists gave Crist $1.8 million, followed by almost $1 million from the health sector.

The Florida Department of Elections provides some matching funds to candidates for governor or cabinet-level offices. Crist received $3.3 million in public funds.

$9.7 million (40 percent) came from individual donors, while $6.6 million (27 percent) came from businesses and special interest groups.

Marco Rubio

At present, Crist's most prominent opponent is former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio. While races for the Florida House of Representatives do not attract nearly as much money as a governor's race, Rubio has a history of significant fundraising, collecting $614,213 over five elections between 2000 and 2008. From 2006 to 2008, he served as Speaker of the House.

Those in the finance, insurance, and real estate economic sector gave $109,030, which was 18 percent of Rubio's funds over the years. The health sector came in second, at $86,429. General business interests, including major contributors from gambling, alcohol, and tobacco companies, came in third.

Businesses and special interest groups gave Rubio 77 percent of his campaign funds; individuals gave 20 percent.

2. Classified based on campaign finance reports. Florida law requires that candidates report the occupation, but not the employer of donors. The Institute was able to classify 69 percent of Crist's contributions. The remainder have generic (e.g. "Business Executive," "Owner") or blank occupations and are unclassifiable.

4. Classified based on campaign finance reports. Florida law requires that candidates report the occupation, but not the employer of donors. The Institute was able to classify 81 percent of Rubio's contributions. The remainder have generic (e.g. "Business Executive," "Owner") or blank occupations and are unclassifiable.

This report was posted on May 12, 2009 by Tyler Evilsizer.Let us know what you thought! Click here and give us some feedback.